Many retail establishments currently allow a customer to check-out and pay for products either by using a traditional cashier who scans each product and then receives tender from the customer for payment of the products, or by using a self-checkout station (SCO) in which the customer scan each product individually at that self-checkout station and then tenders payment to the self-checkout station. In some instances, a customer is al lowed to scan products picked from a shelf with a local or mobile device, transferring contents of the virtual shopping cart to the point of sale register, and tender payment at the point of sale register. In either way, the customer has to shop for products by placing each product in a shopping cart, then has to take the shopping cart to either a traditional cashier or a self-checkout station, often the customer has to wait in line, and then the customer has to remove each product from the shopping cart so that the traditional cashier or a self-checkout station can scan identification information from the product, such as a barcode, and then typically each product is then placed back in the shopping cart or into a shopping bag upon scanning.
As a result of this process, retail establishments have to invest in cashiers or self-checkout stations and additional time is required from the customer to complete his purchase by having to go to a cashier or a self-checkout station. It would be desirable to provide a customer and a retail establishment with a method for purchasing products from the retail establishment which provided the customer with a variety of payment methods and a variety of delivery or fulfillment options.
Furthermore, many consumers visit a brick-and-mortar retail establishment only to get their hands on products they may be interested in purchasing, then compare prices of those products to the prices of online retail establishments, and purchase the products from a competitor's online retail establishment conveniently using a portable computing device, such a smart phone or a tablet instead of going through a traditional point of sale terminal at the brick-and-mortar retail establishment they are visiting. As a result of this practice, which is called showrooming, brick-and-mortar retail establishments end up losing revenue due to lost sales to online retail establishments.
Additionally, many products may not be available at a brick-and-mortar retail establishment, as the size of the brick-and-mortar retail establishment is limited. Additionally, some products are too expensive, heavy, or large to be stocked on a shopping floor of a brick-and-mortar retail establishment. Online retailers have many advantages over brick-and-mortar retail establishment in that they may stock larger merchandize assortments. Furthermore, online retailers offer a variety of delivery and payment options, however most of them do not accept payments in cash. It would be desirable to provide a customer at a brick-and-mortar retail establishment with a method for purchasing products which match or exceed the convenience and selection of an online retail establishment.